A recent flurry of great blog suggestions have arrived from Monika, Abby, and electronic news lists at large. Rather than post each separately (the ongoing plight of overwork is driving me nuts!), I am summarizing the links here. All can be found at http://delicious.com/notimetolose, as well…

Staff with mobile technology such as BlackBerrys work an extra 15 hours a week as they constantly check emails even when out of the office, new research found today. A survey of more than 600 employees revealed many were turning into workaholics because of the ability to receive and send messages and work online even when they were at home. The employment law firm Peninsula said the working week was being extended to about 55 hours for many people and urged employers to make sure their staff were not breaching working time regulations. PA

• This article was amended on Tuesday 25 August 2009. We said the working day was being extended to about 55 hours for many people; we meant the working week. This has been corrected.

La Vanguardia – SpainWorking life a source of insecurity
After several employees at telephone company France Télécom took their own lives in the last few months the daily La Vanguardia favours intervention by the French government aimed at making the process of privatising the company more humane: “The case of France Télécom certainly gives pause for reflection. No one denies that we are living in a competitive society, nor that the effort or ability to adapt to new challenges is vital for professional and entrepreneurial advance. But nor would anyone in their right mind deny that a revision of the labour policy at France Télécom is necessary. … Working life, which used to provide security nowadays generates insecurity. Therefore it is crucial to find a balance between the demands of a competitive society and public health. Cases like that of France Télécom should not be repeated.”

If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.
— Herodotus (484 BC – 430 BC), The Histories of Herodotus

Ta Nea – GreecePrivatisation wave partially responsible for suicides
In the last 18 months 23 employees of the privatised telephone company France Télécom have committed suicide. Just last week an employee threw herself to her death after a meeting with her boss. The left-wing daily Ta Nea asks why: “This phenomenon isn’t limited to one company or one country. Data compiled by the US statistics office show that the number of suicides in the workplace in the US has risen by 28 percent [over the previous year]. It would be closing our eyes not to seek the causes of the latest suicide at France Télécom in the government’s desire to transform a traditional state enterprise into a profit-making multinational company at all costs. But even if we did close our eyes we couldn’t help seeing the ongoing trend towards privatisation in Europe, even though it is clear that the liberalisation of the financial markets is what brought the economic crisis down upon our heads.”

The Conference Board of Canada has released a new briefing… check out the details below:

Working 9 to 9: Overtime Practices in Canadian Organization
Briefing by Karla Thorpe August 2009, Source: The Conference Board of Canada, 14 pages

Canadian employers are reviewing their human resources policies and taking steps to mitigate the legal risks of overtime worked without appropriate compensation. This briefing surveys the overtime practices of 130 organizations.

Document Highlights: Overtime practices are coming under scrutiny due to external factors as well as employee and management concerns. Many employers are reviewing their policies and taking steps to mitigate the legal risks of overtime worked without appropriate compensation. Most organizations have formal policies and practices to guide managers and inform employees about overtime provisions. Multiple policies are typically needed to deal with various groups, including unionized versus non-unionized employees. Organizations tend to rely on employees’ positions rather than their duties and responsibilities to determine their eligibility for overtime pay. This can leave employers vulnerable to legal challenges. The Conference Board of Canada recently surveyed mid- to large-sized Canadian organizations concerning their overtime policies and practices, use of overtime within their organization, and future directions in their approach to overtime. Working 9 to 9: Overtime Practices in Canadian Organizations summarizes the responses from these 130 organizations.